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Firoozeh explains that, as a child growing up in America, native-born Americans tease her for her nose, which is somewhat larger than the average white American’s nose. She also explains that in Iran, women are judged on the size and shape of their noses, and often have expensive surgery to reshape their noses. In all, noses could be said to symbolize the xenophobia and sexism that Firoozeh experiences while growing up—as an Iranian and an American and, in particular, as an Iranian-American woman.
Noses Quotes in Funny in Farsi
The Funny in Farsi quotes below all refer to the symbol of Noses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 24
Quotes
I remembered how much I admired Jane Fonda's nose when I was in fourth grade in Tehran, and how much I hated my own. Thinking of all that wasted energy, I wanted to scream and tell my fellow countrymen and countrywomen that a nose by any other name is just a nose.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Noses Symbol Timeline in Funny in Farsi
The timeline below shows where the symbol Noses appears in Funny in Farsi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: A Dozen Key Chains
...years before. On the bus, everyone stares at Firoozeh’s sleeping bag. Someone tells her, “your nose points downward, so I figured that’s because you’re always looking at the ground,” and everyone...
(full context)
Chapter 24: A Nose by Any Other Name
During her time at Berkeley, Firoozeh becomes obsessed with the big, ugly nose of a school librarian, whom Firoozeh nicknames the Toucan. What fascinates her most, however, is...
(full context)
At the age of eighteen, Kazem takes Firoozeh to a plastic surgeon to fix her nose. During her initial conference with the plastic surgeon, however, Firoozeh decides that she doesn’t like...
(full context)
...nudity, and about how she’s come to accept her body—which Firoozeh interprets to mean her nose. Watching the interview, Firoozeh becomes deeply sad. She thinks about all the Iranian women she’s...
(full context)
